The death toll from Australia’s second-worst mass shooting so far stands at 15 victims plus one of the two gunmen who opened fire on a crowd gathered for a celebration to mark the first day of Hanukkah on Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach on Dec. 14.
Some of the 29 people taken to hospital—including police officers responding to the scene—are in critical condition, and the toll may yet rise.
Among those killed were a 10-year-old girl and a British-born rabbi, Eli Schlanger, who was the head of the Chabad mission in Bondi and one of the organisers of the “Chanukah by the Sea” event.
At least 1,000 people were gathered on the beach as the pair opened fire from a nearby bridge at around 6:45 p.m. Australian Eastern Daylight Time.
New South Wales (NSW) State Police have declared the incident a terrorist attack, with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) also joining the investigation.
The FBI has also offered to assist, with U.S. President Donald Trump calling the incident “a purely anti-Semitic attack,” echoing Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who spoke of “evil anti-Semitism.”
Who Were the Shooters?
The alleged shooters are a father and son pair, the latter named as Naveed Akram, aged 24, both from Sydney’s multicultural west. Police have ruled out the involvement of a third person.
The shooting lasted around 10 minutes.
The older of the two, Sajid Akram, aged 50, who died at the scene after being shot by police, held a firearms licence for 10 years and owned six registered firearms.
Both Albanese and NSW Premier Chris Minns have said they would look at further tightening gun laws.
The head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), Mike Burgess, said the agency was looking into the identities of the attackers and if there was anyone else in the community “with similar intent.”
“One of these individuals was known to us, but not in an immediate-threat perspective, so we need to look into what happened here,” he said.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon says two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were found at the scene close to the bridge from where the shooters were firing rounds. They were taken away from the scene in an armoured car.
Lanyon described them as “basic” and said they had not been activated, but declined to provide further details as investigations are ongoing.
He also refused to comment on the alleged presence of a black Islamic State group flag at the scene.
“We’ll look at the motives behind the attack … as part of the investigation,” he said. “Our investigation will be thorough, and we’ll be happy to provide further information.”
He said the two NSW police officers in hospital following yesterday’s attack are in a critical but stable condition.
He also confirmed speculation that there will be an increased police presence in places where the local Jewish community gathers.
“We’ll make sure we’re highly visible at places of worship, places that are known to be frequented by the Jewish community, but very much in those suburbs we know we have a large Jewish population,” Lanyon said.
“I want to make it very clear that the New South Wales Police will not tolerate the types of violence or the types of anti-Semitic behaviour we have seen. We’ll have 328 officers on the ground this morning as Operation Shelter.”
NSW Ambulance Commissioner Dominic Morgan said the response to the attack involved 123 paramedics, the first of whom were on the scene within 10 minutes.
Who is the Local Hero That Wrested a Gun from the Shooter?
Footage widely circulated on social media showed a member of the public charging Naveed Akram and wrestling a high-powered rifle from his hands.
He has been named as 43-year-old Ahmed al-Ahmed.
His cousin Mustafa, told reporters: “Still he is in hospital and we don’t know exactly what is going on. The doctor says he is okay. We hope he is okay. He is a hero, 100 percent he is a hero. He has two shots, one in his arm and one in his hand. He has had to have an operation.”
Minns paid tribute to al-Ahmed’s courage, saying: “That man is a genuine hero, and I’ve got no doubt there are many, many people alive tonight as a result of his bravery.”
Australia’s worst mass shooting occurred at Port Arthur in Tasmania in 1996, when a single gunman killed 35 people and wounded 23 others, prompting the government to introduce tighter gun restrictions.
27 Victims Remain Hospitalised
According to the latest statement from NSW Health, 27 victims still remain hospitalised as of 1 p.m. on Dec. 15.
Of those patients, 15 are in a stable condition, six are in a critical but stable condition, and a further six remain in a critical condition.
“Patients continue to be discharged or transferred to other hospitals when required,” a NSW Health spokesperson said.
“Some patients have also self-presented at hospitals for care.
“NSW Health extends its deepest sympathies to the families, friends and loved ones of those who died and were injured at Bondi Beach.”
An Unforgivable Crime: International Islamic Organisation
A number of Islamic organisations have issued statements condemning the Bondi terrorist attack.
Imam Tawhidi, an Australian Muslim theologian and a governing member of the Global Imams Council (GIC), said the mass shooting was not merely an act of violence.
The GIC is an international non-governmental organisation comprising Islamic scholars and faith leaders from different sects and schools of thought.
“It was a calculated anti-Semitic act of terror driven by hatred, cowardice and moral depravity. The murder of worshippers, including children and respected community figures and leaders, is an unforgivable crime that stains the conscience of humanity,” he said in a social media post.
“These terrorists are enemies of all faiths and of all civilised society.”
Tawhidi also noted that anti-Semitic terrorism had no legitimacy within authentic Islamic leadership.
“We stand in unbreakable and unapologetic solidarity with the Jewish community of Australia and with Jewish communities worldwide,” he said.
“Your grief is our grief. Your pain is shared deeply by Muslims across the globe who refuse to remain silent in the face of evil.”
In addition, the theologian pointed out that the attack served as a warning for other democracies, including Canada, about the threat of extremist Islam and anti-Semitic rhetoric.
He further called on Muslims around the world to reject anti-Semitism and confront extremist ideologies within their own communities.
“Silence is complicity, and being neutral in the face of terror is a moral failure,” Tawhidi said.
Meanwhile, the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) said it was “devastated and angered” by the mass shooting and extended its condolences to the Jewish community.
“APAN extends its solidarity to all those impacted. We send love to the Jewish community. And we call for a collective commitment to rejecting violence and fostering a society and a world grounded in dignity, safety, and care for one another,” it said in an online statement.
“We are living in profoundly violent times. We can only counter this by coming together at every opportunity: everyone, here and elsewhere around the world, must be able to live free from harm and fear.
“In moments like this, it is critical that communities are supported with care, compassion, and access to the resources they need to recover and heal. And society at large must not respond with speculation, vilification, blame and hate.”
Israeli-Based Volunteer Emergency Organisation to Arrive in Sydney
ZAKA, an Israeli-based international humanitarian volunteer organisation, has announced it will deploy a dozen veteran responders to Sydney.
ZAKA officials said responders will provide both technical assistance and spiritual support to local communities affected by the attack while working closely with Australian law enforcement and emergency agencies.
According to the organisation, ZAKA responders are capable of operating at complex attack scenes while meeting the demands of criminal investigations and the religious imperative to honour the deceased.
“Our mission is simple and unwavering: ZAKA is there for every Jew, no matter where they are, in times of crisis,” ZAKA CEO Dubi Weissenstern said in a statement to The Epoch Times.
“We bring deep experience from terror scenes, working hand-in-hand with law enforcement to preserve critical forensic evidence, while also ensuring the dead are treated with the utmost dignity and can be buried as quickly as possible in accordance with Jewish law.”
Weissenstern’s comments were echoed by Moshe Rozenberg, ZAKA’s U.S.-based executive director.
“When Jews are attacked for who they are, we show up, not only to help recover the fallen with dignity, but to send a clear message of unity, responsibility and care for one another, wherever we may be,” he said.
Formally established in 1995 to rescue, recover and identify fatal casualties of terrorist attacks, traffic accidents and other disasters, ZAKA has grown into a full-scale emergency response network, with an estimated 4,000 trained volunteers operating 24/7 across Israel.
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